URL: https://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=2324

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Purpose: The Health and Care Act 2022 endowed the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with new powers to evaluate how Local Authorities fulfil their responsibilities under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The CQC Local Authority Assessment Framework reviews the performance of Local Authorities to ensure that both the CQC and the Department of Health and Social Care are satisfied with the quality of care in the area and to identify any necessary improvements. From April 2024 to September 2024, B&NES underwent its CQC Local Authority Assessment, and the CQC published their report for B&NES on 30th January 2025, assigning a rating of Requires Improvement. The Adult Social Care Improvement Plan highlights the progress already made and outlines the steps being taken to further enhance our services. It reflects our self-assessment of priority areas for improvement, alongside the key findings and areas for improvement against quality statement scores from the CQC Local Authority Assessment Report for B&NES. The nine priorities in the ASC Improvement Plan align national expectations with local needs, driving forward a shared vision for a more responsive, effective, and sustainable Adult Social Care service that delivers better outcomes for the B&NES population who rely on adult social care support. This report will outline the progress made towards the ASC Improvement Plan, alongside the key activities that the ASC Leadership Team is undertaking to enable sustainable improvement.

Content: (1)  To note the summary of progress towards the Adult Social Care Improvement Plan which highlights the main themes and action for achieving a Good CQC rating.   (2)  To agree that a further update report on the progress against the ASC Improvement Plan is submitted to Cabinet in May 2026. The Adult Social Care (ASC) Improvement Plan is aligned to specific CQC feedback and structured according to the CQC Local Authority Assessment themes, ensuring a clear and systematic approach to addressing identified improvement priorities.   The ASC Improvement Plan is making steady progress.  Significant advancements have been achieved, with actions tracked through the monthly Improvement Board meetings and project oversight through robust highlight reporting including RAG rating on overall progress.  his approach ensures rigorous oversight, constructive challenge, and shared responsibility for required actions to achieve the desired outcomes. As part of our annual quality assurance process the Self-Assessment is in the process of being updated to reflect the outcome of the CQC inspection report published in January 2025 and reflect progress towards the ASC Improvement Plan. The Self-Assessment report will therefore outline the progress made by ASC from September 2024 (CQC onsite inspection) to September 2025. Once finalised the Self-Assessment 2024/25 will be published.

Date of Decision: November 13, 2025